Don’s forest remarks ‘ rake news’ for Finland

◗ ◗ Finnish social media users were quick to pile in, describing Trump’s comments as ‘ rake news’ and posting pics of themselves brandishing the garden implement

Trump cited the Finnish President as telling him Finns ‘ spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things ( in the forest), and they don’t have any problem’

Niinisto, told the IltaSanomat newspaper on Sunday that he had no recollection of raking being mentioned when the pair met in Paris a week ago.

“I told him that Finland is a country covered in forests, but we also have a good warning system and network,” the President said. Finnish social media users were quick to pile in, describing Trump’s comments as “rake news” and posting pictures of themselves brandishing the garden implement.

By late Sunday, rakingrelated terms were among the most popular Twitter hashtags and Google searches in the Nordic nation which is 72 percent covered by forests, predominantly of pine, birch and fir.

Meanwhile Yrjo Niskanen, head of emergency preparedness at Finland’s national forest centre, said the US president may have been referring to the practice of removing branches and loose material left in the forest after logging.

But he pointed out that this is not done with a rake — and the wood is collected for energy production.

“I’ve never thought before that it could be removed because of the fire risk, that’s not mentioned in any forestry manuals. It’s taken away purely for business reasons,” Niskanen told the Iltalehti newspaper.